continued, I amused myself by landing; and under the pretext of
shooting, strolled sometimes farther up the country than prudence
exactly warranted. The houses and villas, upon the immediate
banks of the river, I found universally deserted, and thoroughly
plundered. The corn, however, was uninjured; and even flocks of
sheep were seen grazing within a short distance of the water,
protected only by negro slaves. Of these none were taken without
an equivalent being as faithfully paid as if they had been sold
in the market-place of New York; a circumstance which favoured
the belief that the houses had been ransacked, not by the British
troops, but by the inhabitants themselves. Whether it was really
so or not I cannot say, but this I know, that from the time of
our arrival in the Chesapeake, all acts of individual plunder or
violence were strictly prohibited, and severely punished.

But this appearance of ruin and desertion extended not more than
a mile or two from the coast. Beyond that, I found the cottages
occupied by their owners, and everything remaining as if no enemy
were within a hundred miles. The young men, indeed, were
generally absent, because every man fit to bear arms was now
serving with the army; but the old men and the women seemed to
live as comfortably as if the most profound peace had reigned
throughout the State. Nor did I find them altogether so hostile
to our interest as I had expected. They professed to be
Federalists; and though they regretted the events of the war,
they blamed their own rulers for its commencement. Tempted by
this show of quietness, I one day continued my walk to a greater
distance from the fleet than I had yet ventured to do. My
servant was with me, but had no arms, and I was armed only with a
double-barrelled fowling-piece. Having wearied myself with
looking for game, and penetrated beyond my former landmarks, I
came suddenly upon a small hamlet, occupying a piece of cleared
ground in the very heart of a thick wood. With this, to confess
the truth, I was by no means delighted, more especially as I
perceived two stout-looking men sitting at the door of one of the
cottages. To retire unobserved was, however, impossible, because
the rustling which I had made among the trees attracted their
attention, and they saw me; probably, before I had seen them.
Perceiving that their eyes were fixed upon me, I determined to
put a bold face upon the matter; and calling aloud, as